by J.T. Toth
Photo courtesy of A to Z Sports.
At Draft 412, the NFL draft talk never ends. We will keep you ready for the next set of gridiron stars—from today and all the way until draft night 2024. We will bring you mock drafts, player profiles, individual team needs, and everything else you may need related to the 2024 NFL Draft.
Today’s Spotlight -Tennessee, Quarterback, Joe Milton III
Name- Joe Milton III
Pos- Quarterback
Team- Tennessee
HT/WT- 6’5” 244 lbs.
Born- 3/6/2000
Home – Pahokee, FL
Joe Milton attended Olympia High School in Orlando, FL and was rated a 4-star prospect by 247Sports. As a senior, he threw for 1,317 yards and 10 touchdowns while running for 262 yards and scoring 5 more touchdowns. During his senior season, he committed to play football at the University of Michigan.
Milton appeared in 4 games for Michigan as a freshman and earned a redshirt. In 2019, he appeared in 4 games as a backup quarterback for the Wolverines, completing 3 of 7 passes for 59 yards and a touchdown. During the 2020 shortened COVID season, he started 5 games going 2-3 in those games while completing 80 of 141 attempts for 1,077 yards and 4 touchdowns.
After the 2020 season, he entered the transfer portal and decided to play at Tennessee. In his first season as a Vol, he started the first 2 games before losing the starting job to Hendon Hooker. For the season, he tallied 504 total offensive yards.
Milton was thrust back into the starting role when Hooker tore his ACL and started the last 2 games of the season. Altogether in 2022, he played 9 games and threw for 971 yards and 10 touchdowns with 0 interceptions. He completed 7 passes of over 50 yards during his brief time on the field, which tied him for 8th in the nation. With his limited playing time, he decided to come back for a 6th season.
In the 2023 opener against Virginia, Milton went 21-30 for 201 yards and 2 touchdowns and also ran for 33 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Joe Milton III has one of the strongest arms in this class and can throw the ball out of the stadium. He has enough gas on the ball to fit the ball into tight windows and can do this at all three levels of the field. He has success when throwing on the run and does not lose any of his velocity outside the pocket. He has the NFL type body and can take a hit, and knows when to leave the pocket or when to step up into it.
Milton however, struggles with his accuracy and at times, has missed wide open deep balls by overthrowing the receiver. His throwing mechanics are lacking and he throws using just his arm, which is amazing considering how strong his throws are. He has a tendency to hold onto the ball too long and will make panic throws when the pressure takes over the pocket. His pre-snap recognition is not where it needs to be and he struggles with reads and coverages. He needs to learn when to put some touch on the ball and take some of his velocity off on certain passes.
Draft 412 does not think Joe Milton will have the NFL career of Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, but the two are comparable in size, arm strength and Allen’s critics pushed him down draft boards for his lack of accuracy coming out of the college game, too. Allen has proved all the naysayers wrong. Can Joe Milton do the same?
Don’t count on Milton reaching Allen’s all-pro level, but he does have the arm to play at the next level and if he straightens out his accuracy issues, he can be an effective back up in the pros.
Strengths
Arm strength
Mobility
Size
Throwing on the run
Weaknesses
Pre-snap reads
Long progressions
Deep ball accuracy
Lacks touch
Final Analysis
Milton (in his 6th season) needs to produce on the field and improve his accuracy to start moving up draft boards. His arm is NFL caliber, but his mechanics and progressions need to catch up.
Draft 412 Draft Prediction - 3rd round